If you have kids, you probably have one. If you don't, you need to get one. The elf on the shelf.
A brilliant idea really. A little toy elf, that parents can buy to act as a sort of nanny-cam for Santa. Each night the elf flies back to Santa and reports on your child's behaviour, naughty or nice. Sort of like giving Santa a heads-up. The elf would say to Santa "Hey Boss, don't bother packing for the Klapak kids. Word is on the streets...they have been misbehaving."
It may not be a technique found in Parenting for Dummies, but it should be. Our elf is making it happen in our house. Vegetables are being eaten, bedtime is no longer a fight, and homework is getting done. Our house is full of magic and it's not even Christmas morning. I have heard there is some controversy surrounding using this elf as a way to get children to behave. Some parents think it may be too hard to discipline your child in January when the elf leaves. Some think it isn't a great idea to scare children into behaving. All I have to say is...you don't know what you're missing!
I mean, think of the possibilities. Tired of telling your kids they play too much Xbox? Well, guess who just landed on the power button? Too much junk food eating going on? Well, look who just landed on a bag of chips on the counter? This elf is a real problem solver. You just have to know how to use it. I am keeping mine around. It's like having Supernanny at our house. Perhaps I need to celebrate Ukrainian Christmas this year and keep the elf around a few weeks longer.
I think that this elf may just show up under our tree December 25 with his bags packed. I have a seven-year-old boy in our house that has more respect for that little plush toy than he does for his parents combined. Not once has he talked back to that elf, let alone slam a door in his face. It's truly magic. I sure wish I had one for the teenagers in the house.
That's when I realized I already did. I call it the Sasktelf. This elf can appear anywhere, anytime, for any reason in a teenagers life to take their phone away and put it in the hands of their parents. The really great thing about this elf is that there are no rules for us to follow. Kids talking back? Messy rooms? Their phone magically disappears from their hands right into yours. There is no need to wait until the evening for the little elf to fly to Sasktel and return home the next morning. The results are like Jello pudding - instant. In the blink of an eye, teenagers are cleaning their rooms, hugging their siblings and unloading the dishwasher while telling you how great you look.
A Christmas miracle, and best thing is, the Sasktelf is on call 24hours a day, 365 days a year!
